Chapter 12: Keyboards, Mice, and Game Controllers

Setting the Current Date and Time

Windows is good at keeping its clock and calendar correct. It knows about U.S. daylight saving time and leap years, but depending on where you live and the accuracy of your computer's internal clock, you might occasionally need to reset Windows' clock or calendar.

To display the Date And Time Properties dialog box, shown in Figure 12-8, double-click the time on the taskbar (usually displayed at the right end of the taskbar), or you can open the Date And Time icon from the Date, Time, And Language category of the Control Panel.

Figure 12-8: The Date And Time Properties dialog box.

To set the date or time:

• Year Click the year, and type a new year or click the up or down arrow buttons to move the year forward or backward. Only years between 1980 and 2099 are accepted.
• Month Click the month and choose the correct month from the list that appears.
• Day Click the day number on the calendar.
• Hour, minute, or second Click the hour, minute, or second section of the digital clock and type a new value or click the up or down arrows.
• A.M. or P.M. Click the AM or PM at the right end of the time and click the up or down arrow to the right of the time.
• Time zone Click the Time Zone tab and choose a new time zone. If you want Windows to adjust the clock an hour for daylight saving time in the spring and fall, select the Automatically Adjust Clock For Daylight Saving Changes check box at the bottom of the window, so a check appears in the box.

Alternatively, you can tell Windows to update the time itself by synchronizing its clock with an Internet-based time server. (This feature is turned on by default.) To change this setting, click the Internet Time tab on the Date And Time Properties dialog box. The Automatically Synchorize With An Internet Time Server check box turns the feature on and off, and the Server box determines which time server you contact (the default is time.windows.com). Windows checks in with the time server every week and updates its clock.

If your computer communicates through a firewall (other than the firewall built into Windows XP), time synchronization may be blocked. Also, Windows doesn't update your time if the date is incorrect. If you find Windows setting your clock to the wrong time, check that the time zone is set correctly.